Defense of Joy
by Victoria Nike
Summary: This story is a special tribute to Women's Day. I want to thank all women I met in FF for their caring, friendship and love. For writing this fic, I was inspired by Mario Benedetti's poem Defensa de la Alegría.


**Defense of Joy**

 _Author's note:_ This story is a special tribute to Women's Day. I want to thank all women I met in FF for their caring, friendship and love. In this special day, I want to send a big hug to my friends who are wonderful women very dear to me: Melissia, Raix and September's Child.

Especially, I want to thank September's Child for her wonderful drabbles "Tristeza en Heinstein" inspired by Mario Benedetti's poems on Sadness (Tristeza). Her love for literature, especially Benedetti's poems, made me choose "Defense of Joy" (Defensa de la Alegría) as my inspiration for writing this little gift for all women around the world! We rule!

 **Disclaimer:** Saint Seiya belongs to Masami Kurumada. The Lost Canvas belongs to Masami Kurumada and Shiori Teshirogi.

 **Defense of Joy**

It was a dark evening in Germany. The huge castle looked eerie and gloomy. From early afternoon, it was raining cats and dogs. The tower window lit by some fine wax candles hid a pale girl who whispered a poem. Being the leader of Hades' troops, she didn't feel joyful because her life was grey loveless and cold. She sighed because she knew by intuition that her secret feeling was doomed. Joy, happiness, they seemed to be far away from her. However, she decided not to give up joy and hope. The book was open on her lap. Her violet eyes read each line as she repeated it again and again as it was her personal and most secret mantra.- I must defend joy from scandal and routine … from temporary leaves and definitive ones…

Suddenly, she heard a dragon's roar through the forests around the dark castle. Her heart jumped in delight although her magic private moment was over. Joy was here. Her secret joy. After looking at the black robed figure at the mirror, she ran down the stairs to the main hall. When she arrived to her cushioned seat, she sat down and regally looked forward. While some soldiers closed the big wooden doors, a pair of Specters walked towards her. The tallest one, a hefty blond man, knelt in front her as a triumphal smile shone on her pale beautiful face. A joyful smile, indeed. If he was unable to love her, at least his adoration and loyalty were enough now.

With hesitation, the younger warrior knelt as he tried to hide a scornful expression. Valentine despised her because that despicable woman mistreated his beloved master. No matter how hard the mighty Rhadamanthys tried to please her, she only looked down on him and sneered. That horrible witch was unable to understand the Walden heir. However, the young man was there to protect the Judge from all the wickedness and fake smiles. He was eager to give him all the joy possible in this life and the next ones. With pride, he silently declared his devotion and loyalty to the Wyvern, his hopelessly yet unconditional love for the one who was his reason to be and his only joy. - I defend joy as a principle … from sweet infamies …

Still kneeling on the cold marble floor, Rhadamanthys watched her. The little girl who trembling greeted them one windy winter night had grown up to become an alluring cold arrogant woman who played tricks on him. Being beautiful and seductive, she used her charms to keep him tied up. She used her voice as a dog leash to subdue the heraldic dragon. At the end, the powerful Wyvern was tamed by the heartless enchantress of Heinstein castle. He was her most devoted and humblest servant because she was Hades' sister and their leader now. His joy was to see her smiling. Whenever she was joyful, his battered heart was full of joy, too. Actually, he missed the carefree laughing happy girl that he met many years ago. Under his breath, he took a solemn oath. – Being a Judge of the Underworld, my duty is to defend joy as a right, to defend it from an evil god and winter, to defend your right to be joyful, Pandora …

At that point, the people of the Underworld were misled. None of them knew that to defend joy was a terrible sin from Hades' point of view. A sin they would dearly pay… for the defense of joy.


End file.
